The National Health Insurance Authority has reiterated its commitment to ensuring people living with diabetes receive proper care and treatment under the scheme when they visit health facilities.
Currently, over 3 million Ghanaians are living with diabetes, with Ghana ranked 6th in Africa among countries with high prevalence.
Available statistics indicate that, a person dies from diabetes every 15 seconds and a limb is lost every 30 seconds.
This revelation according to Dr. Philip A. Bannor, the acting Eastern Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority, is worrying.
In an interview with Citi News at the World Diabetes Day celebration held at Kibi in the East Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region, Dr. Philip Bannor indicated that, the National Health Insurance Authority is committed to ensuring that diabetic patients receive prompt, immediate and quality care.
“20 percent of the money we pay to health facilities goes to diabetes and other diabetes-related care. I must emphasize that we are very committed to helping diabetic patients, and we will ensure that they are well catered for at all health centres they visit.”
“It is not so much about the money we pay, but us an Authority, we are also much concerned about the rate Ghanaians are being diagnosed with diabetes, so how do we all help to reduce this alarming trend and keep diabetes away.”
Dr. Bannor thus advised the general public to practice a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of acquiring diabetes.
“I will use this opportunity to advice the general public on keeping a healthy lifestyle, all these problems and challenges confronting us is down to our lifestyle, we are not particular about what we eat, when to eat and how to eat.”
Dr. Bannor noted that, “Now people have cultivated the habit of eating with soft drinks and the kind of minerals we have on our markets contains as much as 10 to 20 spoon full of sugar which is very harmful to us.”
“We all need to emphasize on educating the people on keeping a healthy lifestyle, create a general awareness that the information shared here today will go down to a lot of people to help them be responsible, exercise daily and maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating fresh fruits and vegetables and not the processed foods.”
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By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku/citifmonline.com/Ghana